(Medical Xpress)—Children taking central nervous system stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin do not face an increased risk of serious heart conditions during treatment, according to a new University of Florida study that ...

ADHD Tip: 5 Tricks to Manage Time Wasters PsychCentral.com (blog) ADHD Tip: 5 Tricks to Manage Time Wasters For many of us, managing time is tricky, especially thanks to the pull of technology. Everything is simply a click or keyword away.

"If several of these warning signs apply to you, don't hesitate to seek help from qualified professionals. If the outcome of an evaluation determines that you have dyslexia or some other type of LD, rest assured that with proper support you’ll be better able to succeed in school, the workplace, and in life. Print this article, check off the warning signs that apply to you, and share the list with your doctor or with another professional and ask for guidance about a formal evaluation. By taking this initiative, you’re advocating for yourself – a critical skill that will serve you well both personally and professionally"

For at least the past six months, I’ve had trouble:

Language:

Distinguishing between words that look or sound alike.Understanding non-literal language such as jokes and idioms.Picking up on non-verbal cues; participating properly in conversation.Understanding directions/instructions.Avoiding "slips of the tongue" (e.g., a rolling stone gathers no moths").Summarizing the main ideas in a story, article, or book.Expressing ideas clearly, in a logical way, and not getting bogged down in details.Learning a foreign language.Memorization.

Reading:

Reading at a good pace and at an expected level.Reading aloud with fluency and accuracy.Keeping place while reading.Using "word analysis" (rather than guessing) to figure out unfamiliar words.Recognizing printed words.Finding enjoyment and being self-confident while reading.

Social-Emotional:Picking up on other people's moods and feelings.Understanding and responding appropriately to teasing.Making and keeping friends.Setting realistic goals for social relationships.Dealing with group pressure and embarrassment, and unexpected challenges.Having a realistic sense of social strengths and weaknesses.Feeling motivated and confident in learning abilities at school and at work.Understanding why success is more easily achieved in some areas compared with others.

Other:Organizing and managing time.Navigating space and direction (e.g., telling left from right).Accurately judging speed and distance (e.g., when driving).Reading charts and maps.Performing consistently from day to day.Applying skills learned in one situation to another..."

"....Here is the model I use when I present the diagnosis to students. I say to the student, "I have great news for you." At that the student, and his or her parents, look up. This is not what they'd been expecting to hear."I've learned a lot about you," I go on. "I've taken your history, and I've read what your various teachers have had to say about you. As you know, we've also done some tests. After putting all this information together, I'm now able to tell you that you have an awesome brain.""Your brain is very powerful. It's like a Ferrari—a race car. You have the power to win races and become a champion.""However," I continue, "you do have one problem. You have bicycle brakes. Your brakes just aren't strong enough to control your powerful brain, so you can't slow down or stop when you need to. Your mind goes off wherever it wants to go, instead of staying on track. But not to worry! I'm a brake specialist, and if you work with me, we can strengthen your brakes."Which is true. Treating ADHD is all about strengthening brakes. For individuals with ADHD, the inhibitory systems in the brain don't work well enough to control all the power the brain possesses. The brain can't inhibit incoming stimuli (hence the individual is distractible) or outgoing impulses (hence the individual is impulsive and hyperactive).But consider also that each of those negative symptoms can lead to a corresponding positive one. The flip side of distractibility is curiosity, a valuable quality indeed. The flip side of impulsivity is creativity, a hugely valuable asset. You can't be creative if you aren't somewhat disinhibited. And the flip side of hyperactivity is a quality that, at my age, I'm grateful to have. It's called energy.As a brake specialist, I can help these children strengthen their brakes. But what can you as a teacher do?Above all, embrace the strength-based model. Make sure you and the student understand ADHD in the same way: race car brain, bicycle brakes. Then, when that student is disruptive you can simply say, "Joey, your brakes are failing you now." This sets a limit, but it does so in a nonshaming way—especially if Joey has already accepted you, the teacher, as someone who is going to be part of the team devoted to helping him strengthen his brakes.

These are some other interventions you can use in the classroom:

Set up predictable schedules and rules. All children need structure, but for those who have ADHD, schedules and rules are as essential as maps and roads are for drivers. Without them, these kids can get completely lost.

Have kids with ADHD sit near you. Being physically close to the teacher increases a student's level of attention. Being far away makes it easier to lose track of what's going on.

Break down large tasks into small ones. A large task can intimidate anyone, but it completely bamboozles and overwhelms the student with ADHD, which can lead him or her to give up or suffer a meltdown.

Introduce new material in terms of old. For example, "Today we start studying fractions. Fractions are just division written differently, and you've already mastered division."

Balance structure with novelty, so that when the class gets overstimulated you introduce structure, and when the class gets bored you introduce novelty. Too much new material gets confusing, and too much drill gets boring.

Make sure the class gets recess, and provide frequent brain breaks (brief periods of exercise in which students stand near their desks or stations). Physical exercise, even for one minute, presses the reset button on the brain and refreshes students mentally.

All these strategies, and many more, can help. But the most important one of all goes back to Mrs. Eldredge: Make sure students with ADHD know you like them and are on their side..."

"This excellent video by Story Worldwide has been featured on Brand Stories for a while now. Not sure if you’ve seen it? If you haven’t, it’s definitely worth your time."

Now here is a very articulate and clear model for brand storytelling. There are 3 axis and the short video explains how to read the model. From there you can easily figure out where you are, and where you want to go.

Nicely done!

And thanks to Omar Kattan of Brand Stories @BrandStoriesNet for sharing this material on his website Brand Stories and then sharing it on LinkedIn in the Brand Stories Group.

One remarkable student with progressive ideas can elevate an entire class.

"....It is not uncommon for true visionaries to perform poorly in the constraints of a classroom. No matter how progressive the teacher, a classroom has a certain level of restriction. Teachers have preconceived notions about what students need to learn and how they should learn it. The most forward-thinking, creative students often tend to be frustrated by those restrictions. As a result, they are limited by instructors who cannot accept, or do not want to accept, new possibilities.

Shortly after Sir John Gurdon won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine this year, a report circulated that had been written by one of his high-school biology teachers. The report lambasted the young scientist, stating: "Several times he has been in trouble, because he will not listen, but will insist on doing his work in his own way." This perfectly illustrates how teachers can fail to recognize a new way of thinking. In our most obstinate moments, the mere suggestion that a student can do something contrary to the way we teach it and still become successful is inconceivable.

The list of visionaries who struggled academically or dropped out altogether is a long one. Thomas Edison left school after his teacher described him as "addled," and his mother taught him at home. Winston Churchill and Bobby Fischer were restless students who received poor grades. More recently, being a college dropout seems to be part of the formula for becoming a successful tech innovator.

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company developed an Entrepreneurial Quotient (EQ) Test to determine if individuals had the skills to become successful entrepreneurs. The test says: "Successful entrepreneurs are not, as a rule, top achievers in school." Being a top student costs the test-taker four points from her overall score. Another question reads: "Stubbornness as a child seems to translate into determination to do things one's own way—a hallmark of proven entrepreneurs. If you were stubborn as a child, add one. If not, subtract one."

(Medical Xpress)—Children taking central nervous system stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin do not face an increased risk of serious heart conditions during treatment, according to a new University of Florida study that ...

When he was in fourth or fifth grade, Dylan was assigned to read Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" to a group of kindergarten students. Dylan's approach to the task was to memorize the book to help him during the actual reading. But even with the book memorized, he made so many mistakes, the younger students had to correct him repeatedly along the way.Dylan, the son of filmmaker James Redford, is dyslexic. Not very long into his father's fascinating, straightforward and revealing documentary, "The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia," you may very well find yourself wishing you had a kid as smart as Dylan Redford. The film airs Monday on HBO with encore broadcasts.Despite the fact that dyslexia accounts for between 80 and 90 percent of all learning disabilities, says Yale's Dr. Sally Shaywitz, it remains deeply misunderstood and weighed down by inaccurate mythology. Dyslexics do not "see words backward," for example. Another kid once said to Dylan that he had had dyslexia for a while, too, but it went away. In sixth grade, Skye Lucas, who is dyslexic, was called "mentally retarded" by another student.

As Dyslexia Awareness Week is ending, the dialog about much needed changes for dyslexics is continuing.

How did you deal with your daughter’s dyslexia?

“After comparing my daughter’s work and my own when I was in school, I was certain that I also had dyslexia. I am self-educated, I read a lot, and I established my own business. I know they say that dyslexia makes reading difficult but based on my own experience, I know you can learn it, you just learn it differently. I did. When you have your own innovative business, reading and math are the two most important things. Since I was able to do it, I knew my daughter could do the same.”

How did you deal with your daughter’s school?

“I took my daughter out of public school and enrolled her in a private school that focused on the abilities of my daughter and not the disabilities. The school used the 'Help' method to teach dyslexic children to read and she had an assistant who spent time with her to enjoy reading. The school really focused on the abilities of dyslexia. Knowing that my daughter was in the best school possible was important for me so that I could focus on my own business.”

Not every parent can afford a private school, what alternative would you have chosen?

“That’s a tough question. I know I didn’t want her to be in special education because I’d be afraid of what it would have done to her self-esteem. Now that I know about the “Help” method of how to teach dyslexic kids to read, I would have hired a tutor to help her with her school work and communicate with her teachers as much as possible to give her extra time or whatever would be possible in the regular classroom. To support her creativity, I would have looked for any kind of activities that were available after school that she could join; any activity that didn’t focus on reading, writing, and math, but about being active and creative.”

What does your daughter do now?

“Well, she is about to graduate from the same school with a GPA of 3.8. She is a fluent reader, loves creative writing, and hopes to continue working with horses professionally. She is considering becoming a veterinarian but isn’t sure yet. She still doesn’t like math but graduating with a B in Math, I am not going to complain. She has her passion, is innovative, self-confident, respectful, and happy. What more can parents wish for?”

In this exclusive video interview, Steven Spielberg discusses his dyslexia for the first time ever, with Quinn Bradlee of Friends of Quinn.

Remarkably, the world famous director of E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Schindler's List, The Color Purple, and Raiders of the Lost Ark was diagnosed with dyslexia only a few years ago. While he wishes that there had been more awareness of LDs in the 50s, he acknowledges the impact of his supportive parents who helped him endlessly with his studies, making sure he did add well as he possibly could in school.

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